It was time that God put a few rules into place. His people had gone this long living their own way, doing their own thing. That is, outside of being oppressed into slavery. So that they would be prepared for entering the Promised Land, there needed to be some boundaries for behavior. The first and most important were to love, honor and respect God.
There was a gift included, too. God wanted us to have a day of rest. It would be a day to honor Him and do no work. I don’t know about you, but having a day of rest sounds very appealing. We work so hard at our jobs, at keeping a home, at raising children, at volunteering. Sometimes we forget to play and pray. God wanted to make sure we didn’t.
We learn a bit of the character of God here. He wants to be our number one. He even tells us he’s a jealous God. You can probably think of a time when you felt jealous. But nonetheless, it is not how we want to make God feel.
So, what gods do you have in your life that you need to do away with? Are you holding on to something that you cherish more than God? People often look to money, possessions, sports, work, self-improvement, anything that keeps us from focusing our relationship with God. We don’t want God to get jealous. Take an account of what you’ve got going on. Is God #1?
I certainly want to be one of the thousand generations to receive this promise from God (v. 6). “But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” God doesn’t give us a laundry list of commands. He is simply asking for our obedience. He knows what’s best for us, and when we follow his “prescription for life” we are so much better.
Lastly, I want to think through the idea of misusing God’s name. We may have also heard about taking the Lord’s name in vain. That’s a little harder to understand that misusing God’s name. But still, what does it mean? We never want to use God’s name in anything but praise and adoration. For instance, you may have heard people in anger say, “oh God” or “Jesus Christ”. Those would be examples of misusing God’s name. We call on him when we need him or when we want him to receive glory. We are not to use his name as an exclamation of pain, anger, frustration, as people often use swear words. God’s precious name is not a cuss word. Not even close.
Let’s pray. Lord I thank you for how you have given us the gift of these commands. I want to do my best to be honoring to you in all I say and do. I never want to misuse your name or put anything else before you. Forgive me for the times I have done that. I pray I can focus on you and your amazing provisions this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
